


Of Diamonds and Fireflies

by HapSky



Series: Child of Music, Child of Sea [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe, Aquarium AU, Fluff, Lance is a lil fish, M/M, Mer AU, Merlance, Merman Lance, Merman Shiro, Shiro is a huge orca, greenpeace Hunk, greenpeace Shay, musician au, violinist Matt, violinist keith
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-01
Updated: 2017-03-13
Packaged: 2018-09-27 16:53:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,299
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10034885
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HapSky/pseuds/HapSky
Summary: A tale of two wounded souls finding their home. So what if Shiro is the size of an orca?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So this story is inspired by a [picture](https://twitter.com/studio_mugen/status/830991911892684801) from [@studio_mugen](https://twitter.com/studio_mugen)
> 
> I wrote a prequel for this featuring Lance's background story: [Of a Blue that should have been Red](http://archiveofourown.org/works/10932909/chapters/24321702)

All Lance can do is nervously swim along his windows to try and catch a better look at what's happening outside his aquarium. Hunk is in a hectic haste, and so is every staff member. The visitors are being shooed around in various directions, and Hunk has his stern and serious face on. Shay has too, so this must be a more concerning issue, Lance can't follow, though. He swims around in the huge pools a little longer, waves at some kids in between, but then he decides it's time to hide in the more private section of his home, with no visitors ogling him through glass.

 

Altea is built high up a cliff, near the ocean below, and Lance has a perfect view of the sun setting in a stunning shade of fiery orange behind an inflamed sea. The light illuminates his water and reflects in his collection of crystals. When Lance was first brought here, his aquarium was plain grey. Now it glitters and shimmers in many, many lively colours.

Lance swims close to the high window, touches the cold glass with his right hand, so careful and tender, as if it could break under his fingertips. But Altea would never break. The sunset sparkles in Lance's wide blue eyes, matching in bright depth with the ocean. He gapes, entranced by the awakening nightfall. His blue and white and black fishtail and fin glisten in a golden gleam, his with scales freckled body as well.

Really, this beautiful sight he baths in makes it hard to sulk. His friends will tell him soon enough, he hopes, why they are all in such turmoil. Maybe a new neighbour for Lance? A friend? Perhaps even someone of the merfolk? A few excited bubbles escape Lance's lips at the thought of a new playmate. The sun has vanished, and a dark violet covers the sky, the ocean turns into a black calm entity, the enchanting light seeps away. Now the crystals he decorated his room with are left without sparkling life, the little sanded cave he sleeps in lies dim and allures him to slumber.

Lance doesn't want to go to bed, so he stares at it in a focused glare and listens. He knows it would be odd luck if he gets what he wants, but it's past dusk, and it wouldn't be all that unlikely, so he waits and listens. Waits and listens almost motionless, until some soft tunes reach his sensitive ears, and his whole face brightens as if lit up by the sun again. He all but shoots through the water, quick and agile movements and fast, he is oh so fast. When he reaches the stage, a big round pool, surrounded by many rows of seats, the cheerful and dreamy melody is echoing in the air and vibrating in the water. Two figures stand on the platform opposite to the tiers and play in perfect sync on their violins.

Lance sits down on the pillar they had sunk in the centre, his upper body in the fresh evening air, his long tail gently moving to the rhythm under the surface, softly splashing the water. He hums a few chimes before joining the violinists with his singing. It's a song about fireflies, and although he never saw them it is one of his favourite songs, especially when played in a duet by Keith and Matt. Hunk tried to explain what they are, tiny lightning bugs floating through the sky, but Lance couldn't imagine them. He wishes he could see them one day.

The mild and merry sound of the violins fills the air, entangled with Lance's clear and mellow singing voice. He loves to sing, and he loves to sing alongside those two, be it for practice, in the late hours of the day when no one listens but the stars about their heads, or for a show at daytime, when the tiers are packed with visitors, cheering loudly at their performance. He also loves to just listen to the violinists, hidden in a niche, tucked away from curious eyes. He just loves Matt and Keith themselves. He tells them so when the last tunes are played and have faded away, and he has hoisted himself up the stage, watching them laugh in happy contentment at his confession.

“We love you too, Lance,” Matt snickers and ruffles his wet hair.

“Glad you're doing fine,” Keith agrees with a soft little smile. They love to perform with Lance, too. Out of all their tours, all the places they have been given concerts at and will give concerts at in the future, Altea will always be their favourite. It has an inspiring atmosphere to it, free and strong and full of live. Not like the aquarium Lance has been at before. Keith remembers Baku all too well, and he shudders in deep scorn for that disgusting place. “So glad you're fine, now,” he repeats.

Lance smiles too, he blinks at him, blinks some tears away. “Me too...” he whispers, absently stroking the maimed end of his left arm, where his hand used to be.

“Uh, by the way!” he switches to another topic. “You guys know what's up with all the serious faces today?” he asks and slaps his fin over the surface, careful to not accidentally shower the precious violins with water droplets.

“If I'm not mistaken, Hunk found a wounded orca stranded on the beach and brought him here to take care of him,” Matt answers and shrugs his shoulders. Then his eyes start sparkling mischievously, he glances at Keith with an impish grin on his lips. Keith instantly copies Matt's expression and finishes his explanation.

“Didn't he, like, lose his right  _ arm _  or something?” he smirks. Lance's face carries a wide range of emotions. From confusion to slowly realising the meaning behind Keith's words, to happy excitement to a scowling pout to a worried gaze at last.

“I'm off to find Hunk,” he declares and disappears into the water, leaving the violinists behind with knowing smiles tugging at the corners of their lips. Intertwining their hands, they take their leave too, just as eternally grateful as Lance, for having been able to save him.

 

Lance knows the infirmary of Altea very well, but knows better than to jump over the small barrier separating the little pool from the main aquarium. He once again heaves himself out of the water, eyes searching for his friends, or the vet, or even the orca merman himself. And as soon as his eyes land on said merman, Lance knows it's him. That's the one. Love at first sight. Ugh. Lance's nose scrunches up, that poor thing is injured and he doesn't even know him, he really shouldn’t dump random feelings on him the very first time they meet.

Still very irritated by his thoughts about the other merman, he doesn't notice Hunk approaching until he speaks up.

“Hey Lance...” Hunk kneels down beside him.

“Who's that?” Lance wants to now, still staring at the unconscious merman.

Hunk sighs exhausted, “Don't know his name, but he's a tough guy. A brave one... could've died from shock alone, blood loss and loss of his arm aside. So many scars scattered over his whole body... But he's doing great over there, he'll make it...”

They sit in silence. Lance watches the vet and staff members do their best with a distant expression, Hunk can't tell what's on his mind. He remembers Lance's arrival, and an idea pops up.

“Hey Lance! Do me a favour?” he asks in a light and friendly tone. “Take care of him when he wakes up, okay? Keep him company, show him around and such... Make him feel at home, can you do this for me?”

Lance nods more seriously than Hunk had anticipated, but maybe Lance is right about taking this seriously. He knows best what it is like, being caged in an aquarium all alone. And orcas aren't usually on their own, normally they have a strong bond towards their mother line, and don't grow up in captivity like Lance has. This one knows deep water and endless oceans, the wild sea. He probably won’t want to stay here forever, maybe he'll go back when he has recovered. But until then, he'll find a welcoming home in Altea. Lance nods again, “I will.”

 

It takes two long days of waiting, Hunk's nerves are wrecked. The orca made it, though, just as he had said he would. Didn't stop him from worrying. He honestly wonders how Lance can be so calm and reserved, he had expected him to burst from anticipation and to whine annoyingly about how long it was taking. But his friend is strangely silent, if his usual escapades can be called silent, that is.

Lance swims slowly towards the gate of the infirmary, knowing that it'll be lowered soon to let the other merman into the aquarium. He hears the chatting, hears the vet's quirky voice. He hears the creaking of the gate. Hears his heart pounding loud and fast in his chest. He takes a deep breath through his gills. A brave one… with so many scars...

Lance sees the other tentatively moving towards him, and Lance sees the grey scars on his gigantic black and white body, sees the cut in his fin, sees the big scar across his left shoulder and sees the scar across his nose. Sees the stump that's left of his right arm. 

Lance swims over to him, a little pretty fish next to a giant whale, but Lance smiles, soft and tenderly. “The name's Lance,” he holds out his one good hand. “Let me show you around, hot shot,” he says with a voice so sincere, it's hard to be flustered about the flirting.

“Shiro,” the orca answers and takes Lance's hand with his left, smiling back a bit dazzled.

Lance goes slowly, stopping here and there, interacting with the visitors. Waving at them, or showing off some tricks. He tells him tales and anecdotes about everything and anything that had happened at the current place, but when they reach Lance's room, his happy rambling comes to a halt.

Shiro looks out the window, as if entranced with something very far away and out of reach. Lance hands him a necklace with a little diamond pendant. “It shines when light gets entangled in it...” he says quietly. He helps Shiro with putting it on, they both may have only one hand, but it makes two if they work together.

“Thank you,” Shiro finally smiles at Lance. “For your gift, and for showing me around. Altea is... It's beautiful,” he plays with the diamond in his hand. Altea has riffs, has deep pools, it almost feels like home. It's beautiful. Lance chuckles.

“Just like you, huh?” he flirts, but saves Shiro from answering when he sees the other blushing. “Stay here, for a while... okay? And call me if you need anything,” he winks and leaves Shiro in his room.

It's okay, he doesn't have to see the ocean, doesn't have to watch his crystals come alive with endless colours and bright light. Shiro can have his refuge for a while. He swims back to the stage, but he doesn't feel like singing today. Maybe when Matt and Keith show up. The sun is still shining, it's still afternoon, too early to go to sleep. Lance curls into himself a little, in a corner on the ground, curls around his left arm protectively. He can't cry under water.


	2. Chapter 2

Shiro can't cry under water, so all he can do is watch, overwhelmed and helpless, watch speechlessly how the sun's rays fill the beautiful sea below with their energy, how they enlighten the water around him, how they let him get engulfed in dancing colours. The little diamond shines bright, and so does Shiro's black and white tail and fin, his entire scarred body.

He was charmed by Lance's open-hearted and cheerful nature, thankful for his friendliness. He had assumed Lance to be kind and pretty and harmless. They’ve known each other for just a really short time, half a day maybe, and Lance already managed to both surprise Shiro and to touch his heart. He hasn't thought much of it, when Lance told him to stay here for a while, but Lance knew. Knew about the magic that seems to happen in his refuge at nightfall, knew about how wounded not only Shiro's body was, but about how shattered his soul has been and how it had needed silent, tender treatment like this. Lance must have known, letting Shiro have this little moment of warmth and mirth would do him some good.

Shiro smiles. The sea he knows is dark and dangerous, he would even call it malicious. It's lonely and exhausting, every day, every moment could be one's last. The sea never rests, the sea never dies. Shiro has wandered various places, has watched countless skies. The sea had never let him find happiness. Lance's sea up here, in Altea, is gentle and welcoming, forgiving. And Lance had decided to share it with him, this place to call home.

The sun has set yet again, but Shiro still feels the light's lively energy echoing in his chest, feels a pulsing sensation, like trembling flames. He had witnessed a burning sea once, an oil pollution set on fire. He never had thought of it as a good thing to happen, but had been fascinated with this foreign element. The hot feeling surging within him now feels similar to that firestorm, feral and untamed, something beautiful that shouldn't be, leaving him breathless.

Shiro gasps, choking on the air he had been holding. He surfaces, coughs and shivers and gulps down several times. Looking up, he sees a semi-dome of clear glass, protecting Lance's room from rainfall. Its open side faces the ocean, just as the high windows. Shiro wonders, does Lance long for the sea? Is he... not happy in Altea? Because, Shiro finds he is. Shiro feels at peace, feels at home in the little pretty fish's home. He tries to make himself comfortable in the small cavern, but he doesn't fit in there.

 

When he swims around in the aquarium in search for Lance, he hears a melancholic melody floating through the air and through the water. Deep, soothing tunes reaching for the sky, two rhythms entangled with each other in effortless affection. He doesn't know the song, doesn't know these instruments. They aren't instruments the sea would play, a tale the sea wouldn't tell.

When he finds Lance, a shiny ball of sparkling scales, hiding in an open corner, he doesn't hesitate to curl himself around him. His huge figure looms over Lance, who looks at him in surprise. He opens his mouth, but no sounds come out. He wordlessly nestles up to Shiro and they listen to the foreign melody together. Lance toys with the little diamond in thoughtful manner. “The song the violins play...” he whispers after a while and hums a few bubbles, then starts singing. 

It's mesmerizing, Lance breathes through his gills while he sings without air, just vibrating the water. Lance sings so only Shiro can hear. Soon the tunes change into something lighter, a more carefree and happy song. Lance has his eyes closed, sings with a smile gracing his lips. And Lance keeps singing him lullabies, the soft chimes of the violins long gone.

 

The next day, Shiro tells Lance the story behind each of his scars, tells him about clan rivalries, about dangerous hunts and deathly fights. The sea is deep and cold and endless, merciless with its inhabitants. Lance tells him the story of his lost hand in return, it's not only the sea that's harsh.

Hunk calls out for them, and when Shiro is back in the infirmary, Lance leans his upper body over the edge of the pool and watches intently. Hunk feels edgy under his burning gaze. He's examining Shiro, checking on the healing progress of his wounds.

“Seems pretty okay,” he states contently. “Wounds like those need time to heal, but with proper treatment there shouldn't be any problems with that.”

Lance though isn't satisfied with only 'pretty okay', he lets out a displeased huff and slaps his fin across the water.

“Come on, man!” Hunk sighs, “Give him some slack.”

Lance only huffs again, averts his eyes and mutters a pouting, “'m just worried, 'kay,” then he submerges and swims away.

Hunk continues tending to Shiro in silence, but when he is finished and Shiro is back in the pool, he hears a small voice asking a shy question.

“Can I stay?” Shiro asks, eyes filled with unspoken wishfulness. It's baffling, to hear such little words coming from such a big creature like Shiro.

“Stay... at Altea?” Hunk kneels down to be on eye level with him. “Sure, if you want to... I mean, I can't decide that, but I don't think anyone would mind you staying here,” he reassures Shiro, who seems to be relieved at that. A little relieved, he's still nervously fidgeting around.

“...Lance too?” he mumbles bashfully.

Hunk laughs openly, shakes his head and stands up. “You like Lance, huh?” he grins. Shiro stares at him and slowly nods, blushes, then hides his face behind his hand. Hunk barks a laugh again. “Aww! You're cute, dude!” he smiles warmly when Shiro looks up. “I'm sure Lance doesn't mind you staying at Altea, Shiro. But... are you sure about this?”

 

Shiro follows Lance quietly. The wind slowly starts changing from soft breezes to nasty squalls, gloomy clouds arise in the distance. Shiro seeks shelter in Lance's room, where the other rests in his cave. Shiro glances at him, but decides to not disturb him, and lingers by the windows, pondering thoughtfully. He watches the fierce sea, lashed by the beastly weather. He is safe, in Lance's refuge, but he remembers how it feels like, to get tossed around by ruthless waves.

Hunk hadn't put his question into words, but it rings in Shiro's head nevertheless. Is he sure he doesn't want to return to the ocean? He can see it, from up here, but he would never reach it if he stayed. What is even there to reach? When Shiro closes his eyes, he can see tan skin and colourful scales. A lighthearted smile. Curious eyes looking at him. It doesn't matter that Lance has no left hand, that he is only half the size of himself, that Shiro will miss the adventurous journeys to faraway regions, miss the taste of a lively sea, miss the other travellers he could encounter.

He swims over to the cave. “Lance?” he addresses him cautiously. Lance twists his agile body, opens his eyes, worry glitters within them. “Do you like the ocean?” Shiro asks.

Lance furrows his brows and thinks about it. “Yes,” because the sea is beautiful. “And no,” because the sea is also gruesome. “Do you?” he asks back, even more cautiously as Shiro had asked him.

“Yes,” Shiro answers, because he is a child of the sea. “And no,” he answers, because that doesn't mean the sea is his home.

 

Hunk has no chance to check on Shiro again, no chance to get his response, but he figures he doesn't have to. Shiro seems perfectly fine with Lance at his side, they seem happy, and full of live.

“Just look at 'em,” he laughs at Shay. “Lance is so small next to Shiro...”

Standing on the edge of the pool Shay smiles downwards, where the silhouettes of their friends shimmer dimly through the water.

“Oh, hush!” she chuckles. “He finally found someone with a heart as honest as his own...”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading :D  
>   
> Me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/HapSkyScribbles)  
> Me on [Tumblr](https://hapskyscribbles.tumblr.com/)  
>   
> Feel free to follow/unfollow, or to just drop by and chat a little :)


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